This invention relates to a portable toilet seat. In particular, the invention relates to a toilet seat that can be more safely and sanitarily used when placed upon a public restroom toilet seat, and can be conveniently and discretely transported.
The use of a public toilet by young children and physically or mentally challenged adults in some instances takes place in bathrooms with questionable sanitary conditions and safeguards. An adult caregiver in charge of these individuals can also face logistical problems in these circumstances, especially when it becomes necessary for the adult caregiver to aid the young children or adults in their care to use a public toilet. Often, the parent or primary caregiver must carry a means for covering the seat, which can be burdensome when traveling. In the instances where paper seat liners are available in public restrooms, the parent or primary caregiver (hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9ccaregiverxe2x80x9d) has to adjust and re-adjust the paper liner. These adjustments can be difficult for the caregiver to make in the limited confines of a walled public toilet, especially when the caregiver must also safeguard/handle a toddler or developmentally or physically challenged adult.
In many instances, these paper liners are simply not available in the restroom, as is the case in many public restrooms, such as gas stations, highway rest areas, and restaurants. When the paper liner is not available, the parent or caregiver is frequently required to clean the seat prior to use to remove stains and bacterial growth. This can also be a difficult task when the caregiver is simultaneously trying to manage and safeguard the person under their care. The alternative for the caregiver is to seat the person upon the public toilet seat without cleaning the seat, and expose them to any contamination and debris that may have accumulated thereon.
Upon seating the person upon the toilet seat, the caregiver is then faced with the problem of keeping the person safely seated upon the toilet until completing the process of urination/defecation, and for follow-up cleaning. This process is hereinafter collectively referred to as using the toilet or xe2x80x9ctoiletingxe2x80x9d. Often times, the person being cared for has a short attention span, limited experience on adult sized toilets, or possibly an out-right uncooperative nature, all of which can result in toileting accidents when placed upon a standard sized toilet seat in a public restroom.
In some situations, the caretaker must have the physical strength and stamina to hold the person in their care above or upon the toilet seat. This maneuver can also be difficult in the confines of a walled public toilet stall, and, if the caregiver""s stamina is insufficient and their support waivers, this maneuver sometimes causes the person in their care to rush with toileting.
Also, if the person being cared for is a child of tender years, the seat itself may have an aperture too large to support the child comfortably, and the caregiver must then aid the child in staying centered above the seat. Again, in the confines of a walled public restroom, providing this aid can be difficult for the caregiver.
Some of the toddler toilet seats available today are removable, and can be placed upon a standard toilet seat. However, these removable seats do not provide a container or cover for transporting the seat in a convenient and discrete manner, and they are often inappropriate for use by an adult, given the small size of the aperture in the toddler seat. In addition, carrying a removable toddler-sized toilet seat in public can be an embarrassing task for some caregivers, as well as for the adults in their case.
Thus, there is a particular need for a portable toilet seat which can be placed over an existing toilet seat, which safely and comfortably support a child or physically or mentally challenged adult while using the toilet, and which can be carried by the caregiver in a convenient and discrete manner.
The present invention is directed towards a portable toilet seat which can be discretely transported, covers the existing toilet""s seat, and provides greater support for the person using the toilet, as well as towards a method of using the portable toilet seat for the more efficient and sanitary use of the toilet by an individual. The portable toilet seat has a toilet seat which is mounted inside a container or case, and when enclosed within the container, the outward, overall appearance of the invention is that of a discrete carrying case. These features enable the caregiver to discretely and efficiently transport the seat while in public, and to provide a safer and more sanitary seat for the individual in his or her care.
In one embodiment of the invention, at least part of the container serves as a back rest for the person seated upon the toilet when the portable seat is opened and placed upon the existing toilet. The container has a top and bottom cover or clamshell which pivot upon a flexible spine or hinge or binding to form the back rest for supporting the person using the toilet. When opened, the top cover is held at an approximate right angle to the seat by at least one collapsible or overcenter hinge, and the bottom cover pivots upon the flexible spine until adjacent to the top cover. The top and bottom cover are joined by a clasp which joins the mountable toilet seat to the top cover to form a backrest, which is then held in position by at least one collapsible hinge. This feature provides additional support for the person using the toilet. In one preferred embodiment, a lap belt is mounted to the container, for increasing the support for the person using the toilet, to help the person remain on the seat during toileting.
Optionally, the container has a least one carrying handle or strap mounted on the container for additional ease in transportation, and the container is held shut with a clasp, such as a VELCRO(copyright), hook and loop fasteners fastener, rachet/pawl, or hook pin clasp. The inside surface of the top or bottom of the carrying case may also include pockets to carry items such as premoistened towels, wipes or other cleaning supplies to be used for sanitizing the seat before and after use, as well as for carrying personal hygiene items for cleaning the individual after using the toilet. The toilet seats of the invention may have either adult and child sized toilet seat apertures. Optionally, the toilet seat may also have a urine deflector for preventing urine splashing during use.
The method of operation of the portable toiler seat includes opening the container or case containing the mountable toilet seat, which is pivotally or hingedly mounted within the case, placing the mountable toilet seat upon the existing toilet, sitting upon the portable toilet seat, and using the toilet. The method may also include the step of forming the backrest for providing support while using the toilet. Optionally, the method also includes engaging a belt operably connected to the case around the individual using the toilet to hold the individual to the toilet seat, as well as removing the individual from the toilet seat, and closing the case.